Last weekend was just what i needed - two solid racing experiences! I'm feeling like a bike racer again! Yippidy-friggin-doo-dah! I was part of the race; in breaks, bridged gaps, had fun.
The photo was taken on Sunday in Tielt-Winge (Belgium) moments after we
killed ourselves single file for a few minutes at 50kph. Again, it felt great to be strong enough again to stay in the race long enough to experience the pain of hard efforts!The next photo is of my support crew - Jonas' mom Godelieve. She is master bottle-handoff-er.
And the last
photo is of my treat for racing decently two days in a row. Homemade chocolate chip cookies with Belgian chocolate of course!
18 comments:
No fair showing the cookies! I'm glad you are enjoying the improvements. I am slowly increasing my distance and thinking hard about building a tour bike, or having it built. I have been looking at some Rivendales. Can't decide.
Rickie
don't worry rickie. The photo doesn't nearly do the cookies justice! haha.
Well, for a light solid custom bike that you can keep forever and ever, I would obviously recommend an Ahrens. And especially for the price range, Ahrens is an easy choice. Let me know what you go with.
I emailed Mike at Ahrens bicycle company and discussed my long term plans for a bike. This bike will need to fit several modes. It will need to be light, naturally, but strong enough to carry weight, paniers or pull a trailer and have fenders if possible. It should be fast like a road bike, but able to have great mechanical advantage like a mountain bike but with 700c tires. I want to use it for going to the grocery store or for crossing the country. I may even have to haul a load of your cookies back from the air port, who knows.. ha! Anyway, it seems he specializes in cross, mountain and road, but I'm sure he will be able to point me in the right direction. I will concentrate on the frameset and fork for now and build as I go.
rickie
Someone else after an Ahrens eh? You'll have to agree a commission with Mike! I hope it won't be long until I place my order for a Whole Shot :)
Love the shot of you racing, and loving the cookies too. Did you bake them??? How about posting the recipe. I love posting pics of my after ride food... My wife often cooks Rock Cakes or Fruit Biscuits whilst I am out for a few hours... Can't beat them with a coffee after a long ride.
Someone else after an Ahrens eh? You'll have to agree a commission with Mike! I hope it won't be long until I place my order for a Whole Shot :)
Love the shot of you racing, and loving the cookies too. Did you bake them??? How about posting the recipe. I love posting pics of my after ride food... My wife often cooks Rock Cakes or Fruit Biscuits whilst I am out for a few hours... Can't beat them with a coffee after a long ride.
Why do my comments often come out twice?
nice Peanut... NICE!
Nice report. Keep it up and you'll be primed for the Fall.
There are many fires going on in Cali - you probably see the news - Napa, Trinity Nat'l forest, etc. Over 850 fires in all in just Nor Cal. I am in Reno and it's hella smokey here. I don't think there will be any ridin' for a few days...
Dealing with a little Belgian rain now and again ain't so bad afterall.
Enjoy your summer.
MT
MT
There is no race Saturday
The only race is Heusden Zolder, 6th race for the flamish championship.
See you Sunday
Hey Peanut,
I think I may have found the future bike for me. It will be a Cyclocross Tig Team S.L. from Rock Lobster bicycles. Mike Ahrens
pointed me in that direction and I think the Tig Team S.L. just might fit the bill. Getting the sizing and gettig started on how to pay for it will be next. I will start on the frameset first. I am not sure about the fork, but I like the idea of a wider 700 tire for being a little more rugged for touring. This bike offers a braze on package and is said to be great for touring. If nothing else, it might keep me occupied. I don't think Nemo will be jelouse and she will probably like having a little brother. Who knows what I will name it.
rickie
...mmmmmmm, chocolate chip cookies...
...oh, sorry...yep, still here...just thinking about those cookies...
...stay smooth, stay strong & keep pushin', kiddo...good luck...
rickie:
I second Ahrens' recommendation. Rocklobster makes great bikes too. If nemo has a rough time with the new addition to the family, maybe you can look into a bicycle-family-integration-therapist. I bet they exist...or maybe just in California.
chr15: You will LOVE the Ahrens WHOLE SHOT cyclo-cross bike. It is excellent! My Whole Shots fit me like a glove from the first ride. Assuming I dont run my bikes over with an 18-wheeler, they should last forever. Yes, i baked the cookies myself and they are vegan! I'll post the recipe soon. thanks for asking. And i thought you posted your comments twice as a sort of exclamation point! haha
hey gewilli: thanks for that.
mike: I did hear about the fires but i didn't realize it was to that extent. Now i am almost feeling guilty for having great days and NO rain the last days.
They aren't the ones that will need therapy!... Ha! Paul has just finished two cross tour type bikes and he is going to send me some pictures with some rigid forks with the capability for fenders ect. The lab is expanding soon and I will have the opportunity for over time and their is talk of us techs getting a raise or something, so if I stay focused, I can get this project off the ground.
No, I post my exclaimation points twice (or three times) as a sort of (immature) exclamation point!!!
:)
Congratulations on being 'part of the race' YOU ARE GETTING STRONGER.
Great work!
and what's that immature phrase... "HEY, I RESEMBLE that comment!!!"
That is how we stay so young, and fast. I guess everything is relative. About a month ago I was climbing the hill back to my house, which always kicks my butt at the end of a ride, and I noticed, "Hey, I'm getting better!!!" When this young kid in a really professional looking kit on a very nice road bike just basically flys by me and says hello as he just floats up the hill with the greatest of ease. I had to laugh at myself, but I was still seeing improvement.
Christine, you should do a post on your bikes with pictures and what you are running on them. I would really enjoy it. Have a great day.
rickie
i've had that same exact humbling experience in many, many races! When that happens, we have three ways to take it in - 1. as motivation, 2. as a sign that we ought to stick to riding on bike paths and walking up hills, 3. or as a sign that we ought to drink more alcohol before riding up hills so we're not so phased by passerbys. I opt for 1 or 3.
I will do a post on my bike shortly. Probably my cross bike - Ahrens Whole Shot - will be the one to highlight because it's easily my favorite.
"Because it's easily my favourite"
Ha... click - sales mode... JK :)
If you do a post on your bike Christine, I'd love to know about your position (and differences in)between your 'cross bikes and road bikes. And maybe a little advice?
[quote]and what's that immature phrase... "HEY, I RESEMBLE that comment!!!"[/quote] Love it! I haven't heard that for years.
Anyway what's wrong with a li'l ol' ! to provide emphasis. Some say it's immature. Hell this the web not my master's thesis. That said, I did make a spelling error on the front cover of that - ooops!
Oh yeah! I pick options 1 & 3 too.
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